Endurance
by Unco0rdinated
Summary: Starting her surgical residency, Lennon Wood tries to balance life, love and working at Seattle Grace Hospital.
1. Endurance

**en-dur-ance** ( _noun_ )

the power to withstand pain or hardships; the ability or strength to continue despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions.

 _"Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory." -_ William Barclay


	2. A Hard Day's Night 1

Head buried under her pillow, Lennon Wood let out a muffled groan as her alarm went off. She blindly reached out with her left arm to turn the beeping off. She sighed as she sat up, attempting to rub the sleep from her tired brown eyes. She blew a strand of her long, chocolate hair that had escaped from her messy ponytail out of her face before finally removing herself from her bed.

After getting showered and dressed she made her way downstairs. She slowed her pace and took a seat on the steps as she heard two voices talking.

"...look, I'm gonna go upstairs and take a shower, okay, and when I get back down here, you won't be here, so, um, goodbye...um..." Lennon heard her best friend Meredith trail off. She let out a snort as she realised Meredith didn't even know the name of the man she spent the night with.

"Derek." A deep voice introduced. Lennon was satisfied to know the name of the man who had been party to keeping her up most of the night. She now knew who to curse when she was exhausted on her first day of work.

After a very brief conversation, Meredith said her goodbyes and made a break for the stairs. She silently cursed as she came across a smirking Lennon. The shame faced girl just shook her head before running past her brunette friend, closing her bedroom door behind her. Lennon chuckled before standing up and heading the rest of the way down stairs. She smirked once again as she came face to face with Meredith's one night stand just as he reached the front door.

"Uh... Hi. I didn't know anyone else was here. Meredith didn't tell me." He said rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly and Lennon couldn't help but admire his beautiful ebony waves.

Lennon breathed out a laugh "I'm sure she didn't tell you a lot of things." Lennon retorted with a smirk "But you didn't seem to mind, from what I could hear anyway." She added, shooting him a wink.

Derek chuckled before sending Lennon an apologetic grin "Sorry about that... I should go before Meredith comes back down." Lennon nodded, waving as he closed the door behind him. She clicked her tongue before swivelling on the spot and heading to the kitchen to make coffee.

After placing her empty cup in the sink, she poured some of the black coffee into a to-go cup and made her way to the front door just as Meredith came rushing down the stairs "Is there co-"

Lennon cut her friend off handing over the cup. Meredith sighed in relief, happily accepting the steaming beverage. "Thank you!" She moaned as she took a sip as the two made their way to Meredith's car.

Lennon let out a sigh as she leaned against the head rest. Meredith glanced over at her from her position in the drivers seat "You nervous?" She asked her tan friend.

"Completely. What about you?" Lennon asked turning her head to look over at Meredith.

"I'm so nervous, I think I might puke." Meredith admitted.

Lennon smirked, "Are you sure that's not shame you're feeling? You know from your dirty night with tall, dark and dreamy?" She questioned teasingly.

Meredith groaned before giving the brunette a playful slap on the arm "Stop. It was a one time thing, I'll never see him again." She declared.

"Are you sure you want it to be a one time thing? I mean from how it sounded you had a pretty great ti-"

"Len!" Meredith scolded with a laugh, glancing over at her grinning friend.

Lennon threw her arms up in mock surrender "Okay, okay! But seriously you guys were _loud_."

Meredith sent her a sheepish look "Sorry." She apologised finishing off her coffee. "And I'm sorry we're going to be late because of me." She added feeling guilty.

Lennon waved her friend off "Mer, it's fine. Honestly, if I cared about being late I would've just drove myself." she admitted with a laugh just as Meredith pulled into the car park of Seattle Grace Hospital. After parking in the closest space available to the front entrance, the two women shared a meaningful look as they took in the building where the careers as surgeons would begin. After a moment they climbed out of the car and made their way into the large building.

After asking at the reception where the surgical interns should be, the two quickly made their way to the operating room were their fellow interns were being talked to by Dr Richard Webber, the Chief of Surgery. "Each of you comes here hopeful. Wanting in on the game." He said as the two quietly snuck in, barely being noticed as the other doctors were enraptured by the Chief "A month ago you were in med school being taught by doctors. Today, you are the doctors. The seven years you spend here as a surgical resident will be the best and worst of your life. You will be pushed to the breaking point. Look around you. Say hello to your competition. Eight of you will switch to an easier specialty. Five of you will crack under the pressure. Two of you will be asked to leave. This is your starting line. This is your arena. How well you play? That's up to you." He finished and Lennon gulped. _She. Was. Screwed_.


	3. A Hard Day's Night 2

After a tour around the hospital, all the interns filed into the co-ed changing rooms to pick a locker and change into their scrubs. Lennon and Meredith sat on the wooden bench that resided in the aisle between their lockers. Lennon had just draped her shiny, new stethoscope around her neck when an unfamiliar doctor came in and listed off a set of names to be assigned to their resident. "Only seven women out of twenty-one." Meredith commented looking around the room.

"Yeah, I hear one of the a a model." An woman of Korean descent retorted causing the two friends to look up at her from the bench. She quickly glanced at Lennon and raised an eyebrow "It's not you is it?" She questioned the brunette who shook her head confused. "Seriously, like that's going to help with the respect thing?" She added throwing her bag into her locker.

"You're Cristina, right?" Lennon questioned remembering her from the interns mixer as Meredith pulled her up after standing from the bench. The three women were distracted as the doctor came back in to call another set of names.

"Which resident you assigned to? I got Bailey." Christina asked glancing between the two girls as she pulled on her white lab coat.

"The Nazi?" Lennon questioned sharing a look with Meredith.

"Yeah, us too." Meredith confirmed for the both of them blowing out a breath

One of the remaining male interns quickly turned from his locker to look at Meredith "You got the Nazi? So did I. At least we'll be tortured together, right? I'm George O'Malley, uh, we met at the mixer, you had a black dress with a slit up the side, strappy sandals..." His rambling trailed off as the three women shared looks "Now you think I'm gay." He realised. Lennon smirked as Christina muttered a "Uh-huh." and walked away "No, I'm not gay, it's, ah, it's just that, you know, you were, I mean, you were very, unforgettable." He continued as Meredith gave him a polite smile, he glanced at Lennon and seen her perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised as she tilted her head "And you! You were uh, also very unforgettable." He added hastily causing her to snort amused.

All heads turned as the doctor returned with the list of interns. "O'Malley, Yang, Grey, Wood, Stevens." He called and Lennon nudged Meredith forward leaving George behind.

The two friends reached Christina just as she asked the doctor were their resident would be. After gesturing down the hall, the group of interns turned their heads to find a very petite, slightly overweight, African-American woman filling out paperwork.

"That's the Nazi?" Lennon questioned, disbelief coloring her voice as the group made their way towards the woman in question.

George nodded from behind "I thought the Nazi would be a guy." He added on.

Meredith shrugged "I thought the Nazi would be...the Nazi."

The four interns attention was drawn as a tall, blonde bombshell caught up with them "Maybe it's professional jealousy. Maybe she's brilliant, and they call her Nazi because they're jealous. Maybe she's nice." She chipped in making her way in front.

"Let me guess. You're the model." Cristina retorted earning a sharp look from the blonde.

The blonde quickly turned to Dr. Bailey, plastering a huge smile on her face and extending her hand "Hi, I'm Isobel Stevens, but everyone calls me Izzie." She introduced. The resident simply looked her up and down before looking at her new group of interns.

"I have five rules. Memorize them. Rule number one, don't bother sucking up, I already hate you, that's not gonna change." She started before gesturing to the items that covered the desk in front of them "Trauma protocol, phone lists, pagers. Nurses will page you, you answer every page at a run." She continued moving on as the interns rushed to grab their things. Lennon shoved her pager in her lab coat pocket before quickly following after Dr. Bailey "A run, that's rule number two. Your first shift starts now and lasts forty-eight hours. You're interns, grunts, nobodies, bottom of the surgical food chain, you run labs, write orders, work every second night till you drop and don't complain!" She continued before opening a door to reveal a room full of a few sets out bunk beds "On call rooms. Attending's hog them, sleep when you can, where you can, which brings me to rule number three, if I'm sleeping, don't wake me, unless your patient is actually dying. Rule number four, the dying patient better not be dead when I get there, not only would you have killed someone, you would have also woke me for no good reason, we clear?" She finished.

Meredith raised her hand "Yes?" Bailey questioned as Meredith slowly lowered her hand.

"You said five rules. That was only four." Meredith reminded just as Bailey's pager beeped.

Bailey pulled out her pager and looked at the small device "Rule number five. When I move, you move." She instructed before running down the hallway. The group of interns followed after her as she shouted "Get out of my way!" To a group of doctors who lazed about in the corridor.

After following the resident up to the roof were the helicopter strip was, the interns quickly prepared a gurney for the incoming patient. Lennon turned her head away as the red and white helicopter landed, the wind whipping her brown hair all over the place.

The group rushed forward as the helicopter door swung open "What've we got?" Bailey questioned as the transferred the patient onto the gurney.

"Katie Bryce, fifteen-year-old female, new onset seizures, intermittent for the past week, ID lost en route, started grand mal seizing as we descended." The paramedic listed off as the made their way into the hospital.

They reached an examination room "All right, get her on her side, Izzie, ten milligrams Diazepam," she instructed as Lennon and Meredith turned Katie over "No, no, the white lead is on the right, righty whitey, smoke over fire." Bailey corrected Meredith as she went for the wrong wire "A large bore I.V. Don't let the blood haemolyse, let's go!" She instructed.

They watched as Katie's seizure stopped once Izzie injected her just as another doctor entered the room. Cristina passed him the patients chart "So I heard we got a wet fish on dry land?" He questioned flipping through the chart.

"Absolutely Dr. Burke." Bailey responded looking up at the man. He was young, tall, dark and handsome. His glasses framed his chocolate brown eyes that matched his skin.

Dr. Burke passed Bailey back the chart "Dr. Bailey, I'm gonna shotgun her." He declared stepping back and folding his arms across his chest.

Bailey stepped forward "That means every test in the book, CT, CBC, chem. seven, a tox screen, Lennon, Cristina, you're on labs." She instructed handing Lennon the chart "George, patient workups, Meredith, get Katie for a CT, she's your responsibility now." She declared turning to walk away.

Izzie looked up "Wait, what about me?"

Bailey turned to look at the blonde "You - honey, you get to do rectal exams." She told her. The other three female interns shared an amused look as Bailey continued out of the room.

After running the labs, Lennon and Cristina made their way to the Operating Room where their resident was working. The two silently peered through the glass panel on the door.

Bailey glanced behind her and saw the two interns. She rolled her eyes as the two took a quick step back as she made her way towards them. "What are you two doing here?" She questioned after opening the door and pulling her mask down.

The two interns shared a look before facing their short resident "Um, Katie Bryce's labs came out clear, there's nothing in the results that explain her seizures, we just thought you'd wanna know." Lennon answered for the two.

Bailey nodded "Okay."

Just as she made a move to close the door and pull her mask back up, Cristina stepped forward "Ah, I - I heard every year the attending on call picks the best intern and, and lets them perform a procedure, during the first shift?" She questioned only to get a blank stare in return "I'm, I'm just saying it's what I heard..." She added in defence, glancing at the tanned, brunette beside her who was looking between the two women like it was a tennis match.

"Go away. Now." Bailey instructed and Cristina quickly grabbed Lennon's arm and dragged her away from the OR.

It was their lunch break and Lennon had never been so happy. She sat a table with a few of the other interns. She had just finished her salad as George sat down. He had noticed the look of horror on Izzie's face as she stared at her tray full of food. "This shift is a marathon, not a sprint, eat." He instructed the blonde.

Izzie grimaced "I can't." She denied.

George shook his head "You should eat something."

Izzie sighed "You try eating after performing seventeen rectal exams. The Nazi hates me." She complained.

George looked over at her "The Nazi's a resident. I have attendings hating me." He counter argued.

Lennon shook her head silently before looking at Cristina "You want any coffee? I'm going to go get some." She questioned gesturing over to the coffee cart. Cristina shook her head watching as the brunette smiled before making her way across the cafeteria.

Cristina looked up at Izzie and George "You know Lennon and Meredith are inbred?" She gossiped.

George took a spoonful of pasta "Like it's uncommon around here to be a doctor's-" he started to brush aside

Cristina shook her head, interrupting him "No, I mean royally inbred. Lennon's mother was Eliza Wood and Meredith's mother is Ellis Grey." She revealed.

Izzie gaped "Shut up, the Ellis Grey and Eliza Wood?

Cristina smirked "Uh-huh." She confirmed leaning forward

George's eyebrows furrowed as he leaned closer to the two women "Who's Eliza Wood and Ellis Grey?" He questioned.

Izzie and Cristina laugh gaining the attention of the rest of the interns at their table "The Grey-Wood method? Where'd you go to med school, Mexico?" Christina mocked leaning back in her chair

Izzie opened her mouth "They were two of the first big chick surgeons, Ellis Grey practically invented the abdominal-"

Cristina leant forward once again cutting the blonde off "She's a living legend, she won the Harper Avery. Twice. Eliza Wood died in a car accident before their method won the first award." She divulged as the rest of table nodded already knowing about the two great surgeons.

George scoffed "So I didn't know one thing." He retorted defensively.

Izzie shook her head "Talk about parental pressure." She said feeling sorry for the pair who had a lot to live up to.

Cristina rested her head on her palm "I would kill to have Ellis Grey as a mother. I would kill to be Ellis Grey." She grumbled as Lennon and Meredith made their way over. Lennon had spotted her friend in the queue getting food and went over with her fresh coffee and waited with her, grabbing a chocolate chip cookie as she did so.

"All I need is one good case." Cristina declared just as Lennon reclaimed her seat and Meredith sat down with her tray at the end of the table.

"Katie Bryce is a pain in the ass. If I hadn't taken the Hippocratic oath, I'd Kevorkian her with my bare hands." Meredith declared and everyone except Lennon stared at her. "What?" She questioned seeing all the heads turned towards her as a Lennon took a bite of her cookie.

The brunette nudged Cristina as Dr Burke approached "Good afternoon interns. It's posted, but I thought I'd share the good news personally. As you know, the honor of performing the first surgery is reserved for the intern that shows the most promise." With that Cristina sat up straight "As I'm running the OR today, I get to make that choice." He declared before clapping George on the back "George O'Malley. You'll scrub in for an appendectomy this afternoon. Congratulations." He announced.

George looked up at the doctor "Me?" He questioned in disbelief. The rest of table felt the same but kept that to themselves.

Dr. Burke sent George a smile "Enjoy." He told him before walking away.

The table stayed silent as he left, Cristina huffed, slouching in her seat as she focused on her book. The rest went back to their lunches "Did he say me?" George questioned looking around the group but no one answered.


	4. A Hard Day's Night 3

After losing a game of _rock, paper, scissors,_ Cristina got to troll for cases while Lennon had to take copies of Katie Bryce's lab results to put in her chart. She hummed as she made her way down the corridor to Katie's room. " _Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, it's off to work we go. We'll scut all day, if we get in the way, Heigh Ho, Heigh H-_ Hey!" She stopped, bumping into Meredith as she scrambled from their patients room.

"Uh I need to put Katie's papers in her chart." Lennon said, glancing back to the room as they walked further away.

"Later." Meredith responded, quickening her pace.

Lennon sighed in defeat "Where are we going?" She questioned as Meredith pulled her down the hallway by her arm.

"To find Doctor Bailey." She answered simply before pulling open the door in front.

Lennon's brows furrowed "What do you need Doctor Ba-"

"What?" Said doctor barked as the two interns bumped into the petite woman.

"Uh Katie's parents have questions, do you talk to them or do I ask Burke?" Meredith asked looking down at her.

Bailey shook her head "No, Burke's off the case. Katie belongs to the new attending, Doctor Shepherd. He's over there." She pointed across the hall before walking away from the two.

Meredith and Lennon looked at where Bailey had directed only to go into brief shock. Doctor Shepherd was Meredith's dreamy, one night stand. "Best. Day. Ever." Lennon exclaimed eyes wide as Derek looked up to see the two interns staring. Meredith made a quiet squeak before spinning on her heels and escaping back through the door the two had just came in.

Lennon watched her friends scramble down the hall before turning to see Derek heading her way. "Hello again." He greeted with a small, amused grin, giving her a nod.

"Long time." She smirked, returning the nod as he went after her friend.

"Oh man, I love this hospital." Lennon laughed before heading back to Katie's room to actually do her job.

After filing Katie's results, Lennon ran across Cristina who was at the vending machine. "Hey." She said coming to stand beside her.

Cristina glanced up before returning to look at the array of snacks "That surgery should be mine." She grumbled punching in a sequence of numbers.

Lennon only smiled amused at the woman's frustration, watching the packets of Lays fall. "You heading to watch it?"

Cristina smirked "Have to watch Bambi fall as he takes his first steps into the big, bad world of surgery."

Lennon snorted "And obviously snacks are a must." She commented amused.

"Obviously." Cristina nodded, stepping aside so Lennon could grab her own.

Treats in hand, the two interns made their way to the viewing room of the OR that George and Doctor Burke would be performing an appendectomy.

"He's all about the flops, he's going to sweat himself unsterile." Lennon heard an intern jeer as she and Cristina moved to take a seat. There was a free seat in the middle row and one in front, between Meredith and Izzie. Lennon climbed down to the front row.

"Ten bucks says he messes up the McBird." Another retorted.

"Twenty says he cries." Cristina added as the two sat down.

"I'll put twenty on a total meltdown." Lennon shook her head unwrapping her Snickers bar.

Meredith turned her head from the front row to look at everyone "Fifty says he pulls the whole thing off."

Everyone was silent as they looked at the intern.

Lennon smiled at her friend in encouragement as Meredith scolded the room "That's one of us, down there. The first one of us. Where's your loyalty?" Lennon nodded in agreement while everyone in room remained silent.

"Seventy-five says he can't even ID the appendix." Cristina countered breaking the quiet and tense atmosphere.

"I'll take that action." Izzie responded, the murmur of the others filling the room. Lennon and Meredith shared a look before rolling their eyes in sync.

Everyone sat up straight as they watched Doctor Burke enter the OR "Okay, O'Malley, let's see what you can do." He instructed as nurses helped him out on his gown and gloves.

"Here it comes." Lennon murmured as the operation began

"Scalpel." George instructed looking to the nurse.

"Scalpel." She presented holding it out in front of him.

As George took the instrument, the interns broke into cheers and applause from above before Burke motioned for them to shut up.

"That Burke, he's trouble." Cristina comments making the interns laugh.

It was silent as George made the first cut "More pressure. Human flesh is a tough shell, dig in." Burke instructed.

"Pick-ups." George requested looking up at the nurse.

"Pick-ups."

After completing the next step, George looked up at the nurse again "Clamp.

"Clamp."

Lennon held her breath as George continued "Met some bone. I'm there." and the breath was released.

"Damn, he got the peritoneum and he opened him up." A fellow intern commented.

Meredith smiled smugly "I told you, he's going to pull it off."

The group watched the rest unfold "Scalpel."

The nurse presented the requested instrument "Scalpel."

George made another incision "Appendix is out." The interns cheered as George tossed the Appendix into the tray.

Doctor Burke nodded as he watched the interns work "Not bad."

"Thank you." Lennon couldn't see Geirges mouth, but she was certain he was grinning.

"Now all you have to do is invert the stump into the cecum and simultaneously pull up on the purse-strings but be careful not to-" Dr Burke paused as the purse-strings ripped "break them." He finished before groaning "He ripped the cecum. Got a bleeder. You're filling with stool, what do you do now?"

George froze "Uh...uh..."

"Think. You start the suction, and you start digging for those purse-strings before she bleeds to death. Belky, give him a clamp." Burke instructed the nurse,

Lennon bit her lip as she watched a nurse check the monitor "BP's dropping."

Cristina smirked "He's choking."

"Come on, George." Lennon mumbled, leaning closer to the window.

"Today. Pull your balls out of your back pocket, let's go. What are you waiting for, suction?" Burke exclaimed as the monitor began beeping rapidly.

"Getting too low folks... Dr Burke..." The nurse warned.

Burke tutted, stepping forward "Get out of the way. Pansy-ass idiot." He exclaimed frustrated as George stepped to the side "Get him out of here. Suction. Clamp."

"007." A male intern commented from the back causing Lennon to look at him. She admired him as he leaned against the door frame, muscled arms crossed across his chest. He caught her looking and sent her a wink causing her to scoff as he shared a fist bump with another intern, sporting a short Mohawk beside him.

"What's 007 mean?" Izzie asked as Lennon turned back in her seat, rolling her brown eyes at the two men.

Lennon frowned as she watched George stand helplessly in the corner of the OR "Licensed to kill."

Lennon lay with her legs draped across Meredith, eyes closed as she lay on top of a gurney with her fellow interns in an empty hallway. The group exhausted as they reached the 19th hour of their first shift.

George sighed "007. They're calling me 007, aren't they?"

"No one's calling you 007." Izzie and Meredith retorted in unison.

"I was on the elevator and Murphy whispered 007."

Cristina rolled her eyes "Oh, how many times do we have go through this, George, five, ten? Give me a number or else I'm going to hit you."

George ignored the woman "Murphy whispered 007 and everyone laughed."

"He wasn't talking about you." Izzie assured.

George didn't look convinced "You sure?"

"Would we lie to you?" Meredith questioned,

"Yes." George and Lennon answered. Lennon was more amused while George was frustrated.

"007 is a state of mind." Cristina commented flipping through a magazine.

George glared at her "So says the girl who finished top of her class at Stanford."

The group stilled as a pager beeped. Meredith groaned as she looked at hers "Oh man. It's 911 for Katie Bryce. I gotta go." She exclaimed, pushing Lennon's legs off and onto the floor before she took off down the hall. Lennon groaned as she continued sliding to the floor, too tired to climb back up.

The other three interns looked at her amused as she lay face down in the floor "Maybe I should've gone into geriatrics. No one minds when you kill an old person." George considered to the three girls.

"Surgery is hot, it's the Marines, it's the macho, it's hostile, it's hardcore." Cristina started.

Lennon raised her head enough to look the group above her "Geriatrics is for freaks who live with their mothers and never have sex." She finished and Crisitna pointed a finger at her, nodding in agreement.

"I've got to get my own place." George thought aloud.


	5. A Hard Day's Night 4

Lennon blew a loose strand of brown hair out of her face as she flipped through a chart, leaning against the desk at the nurses station.

"4B's got post-op pneumonia. Let's start antibiotics." She glanced over her shoulder to see the hot jerk that called George 007 talking with a nurse, with his Mohawked friend right beside him.

The nurse didn't look convinced "Are you sure that's the right diagnosis?"

"Well I don't know, I'm only an intern." The jerk started, sharing a smirk with his friend.

"Here's an idea, why don't you go spend four years in med school and let us know if it's the right diagnosis." Mohawk continued, looking down at the nurse.

"She's short of breath, she's got fever, she's post-op. Start the antibiotics." Jerk finished before the two made their way to the desk where Lennon stood and turned back to her chart.

"God I hate nurses. I'm Alex." Jerk introduced looking over Lennon.

"But what you really wanted to know, I'm Noah." Mohawk added, sending the brunette a wink.

Alex rolled his eyes "We're with Jeremy, you're with the Nazi, right?" He asked looking down at a Lennon.

"Name's Lennon... You know, she may not have pneumonia. She could be splinting, or have a PE." Lennon informed him making his flirty smile fall while Noah scoffed.

"Like I said, I hate nurses." Alex muttered walking around her to put away his patient chart.

Lennon raised an eyebrow "What the hell did you just say?" she asked incredulously, taking a step forward "Did you just call me a nurse? _As if_ that would some horrible insult!"

Noah smirked after Alex simply shrugged "Well, if the white cap fits..." The Mohawked man taunted.

Lennon went to retort but her beeper went off interrupting. She granted as she read it * ** _Bailey 911*_** She sent a glare to the two smirking interns before running off to find Bailey, mock saluting George as they passed by each other.

Alex and Noah watched the brunette run off "She seeing anybody?" Alex questioned his friend.

"I don't know." Noah shrugged just as George approached.

Alex whistled "She's smoking hot."

Noah smirked as he nodded in agreement "I'm friends with her." George said gaining the twos attention "I mean, kinda friends, I mean, not, you know, actually friends, not exactly, but we're tight. We hang out. I mean, really only just today -"

"Dude." Alex interrupted shaking his head.

George frowned "But-"

Noah held up a hand "Dude. Stop talking."

* * *

Lennon walked beside Bailey down the hospital hallway. After running across the hospital, Lennon found that the small woman didn't have an emergency or particularly need the intern, she was just testing her reaction time. Lennon was pissed and out of breath. The brunette perked up seeing her best friend walking towards them while Bailey scowled. She had just found out Katie had a code blue, and need resuscitated. "You get a 911, you page me immediately, not in the five minutes it takes you to get to the emergency, immediately, you are on my team and if somebody dies it's my ass," Bailey ranted at Meredith, Lennon frowned as her friend ignored her and continued to walk past her resident "you hear me, Grey?" Bailey called, only to get no answer.

Lennon was quick to follow "Wood! Get back here!" She heard Bailey shout as she made her exit.

"Mer!" She shouted, running after her friend.

Crisitna looked up from her conversation with a male nurse as the two went by her "Lennon? Meredith?" She questioned, hurrying around the desk to follow after them

Lennon and Cristina were right behind Meredith as she made her way outside into the rain. The silently watched as she threw up on the grass.

Meredith wiped her mouth and turned to walk back. She paused as she stood in front of Lennon and Cristina "If you tell anyone, ever..." She warned before continuing on and re-entering the hospital.

Lennon sighed "C'mon." She muttered, nudging Cristina to follow her back inside.

* * *

It was past the 24 hour mark and Dr. Shepherd, or Derek as Meredith had informed her Lennon, had called all the interns to an empty conference room. Lennon was sitting on top of a desk with Cristina as they waited. The brunette pulled out a banana she had gotten in the cafeteria from her pocket. She stared down at the yellow fruit in her hand with a pout "Ugh, I'm too tired to peel it."

Cristina silently took it from her before pulling out a needle and some stitches from her scrub pocket "Aw man! I thought you where gonna peel it for me." Lennon whined, leaning her head back against the window pane behind her

Cristina smirked before threading the needle just as Meredith arrived and took a seat beside her "What are you doing?" Meredith questioned.

Cristina pulled the stitches threw the peel "I'm suturing a banana-"

" _My_ banana, which she stole!" Lennon interrupted, leaning forward and across Cristina to look at Meredith.

Meredith chuckled as Cristina pushed her brunette friend away before continuing with the banana "-with the vain hope that it wakes up my brain."

George laughed from his seat across the room "What're you smiling at, 007?" Cristina goaded, making him stop laughing immediately. Cristina sighed "I'm sorry, I get mean when I'm tired."

George shrugged "You know what? I don't care. I comforted a family, and I get to hang out in the OR today. All is well."

"Does anybody know why Shepherd wants us here?" Lennon questioned with a tired sigh, only getting shrugs in response. Everyone sat up straighter as Derek entered the room.

"Well good morning. I'm going to do something pretty rare for a surgeon, I'm going to ask interns for help. I've got this kid, Katie Bryce. Right now, she's a mystery. She doesn't respond to her meds. Labs are clean, scans are pure, but she's having seizures. Grand mal seizures with no visible cause. She's a ticking clock. She's going to die, if I don't make a diagnosis. Which is where you come in. I can't do it alone. I need your extra minds, extra eyes, I need you to play detective, I need you to find out why Katie is having seizures. I know you're tired, you're busy, you've got more work than you could possibly handle. I understand. So, I'm going to give you an incentive. Whoever finds the answer rides with me. Katie needs surgery. You get to do what no interns get to do. Scrub in to assist on an advanced procedure. Dr Bailey's going to hand you Katie's chart. The clock is ticking fast, people. If we're going to save Katie's life, we have to do it soon." As soon as Derek had finished, the intern all scrambled to grab a copy of Katie's chart.

* * *

Lennon was taking the time to read over Katie's chart while she sat on top of a desk at the nurses station with Meredith.

"Did you just page me?" She groaned as she heard Alex approach the same nurse from earlier.

"Is that the guy that called you a nurse?" Meredith questioned her friend quietly.

"Yep. That's Alex... the hot jerk." Lennon confirmed as the two watched the scene play out before them.

"Yes, 4Bs still short of breath." The nurse informed him, handing him the patients chart.

Alex sighed as he flicked through it "Look, give the antibiotics time to work."

"The antibiotics should've worked by now." She persisted as Lennon and Meredith started to walk away.

Alex shook his head "She's old, she's freaking ancient. She's lucky she's still breathing. Now, I got a shot to scrub in downstairs and a patient who wasn't alive during the civil war. Don't page me again." He retorted, handing the chart back over before walking off but not without sending Lennon a smirk that she scowled at as he passed by the two.

Lennon smiled as Cristina approached the them on their way out the door "Hey, I want in on Shepherd's surgery. You've been the intern on Katie since the start." She started looking at Meredith. "You want to work together? You too Lennon. We find the answer, we have a 33% chance of scrubbing in." She tried to persuade.

Lennon nodded "Count me in."

The two looked at Meredith expectantly "I'll work with the two of you but I don't want in on the surgery. One of you can have it."

Lennon frowned knowing what Meredith was doing while Cristina gaped "Are you kidding me? It's the biggest opportunity any intern will ever get."

Meredith shrugged "I don't want to spend any more time with Shepherd than I have to."

Cristina raised an eyebrow "What do you have against Shepherd?"

Meredith hesitated "If we find the answer, the surgery's yours or Lennon's. Do you want to work together or not?"

Lennon sighed whilst Cristina grinned as she shook her head "Deal."

* * *

The three had had relocated to the library where they sat on the floor in one of the aisles, surrounded with medical books. Lennon flicked through a medial journal on seizures as she lay on her back between Cristina and Meredith, with her feet resting on a shelf above her.

"Well, she doesn't have anoxia, chronic renal failure or acidosis. It's not a tumour because her CT's clean. Lennon thought aloud as she turned the page.

"Are you seriously not going to tell me why you won't work with Shepherd?" Cristina questioned suddenly making Lennon pause as she lowered the book to be able to look between the two.

Meredith shook her head "No. What about infection?"

Cristina pursed her lips "No. There's no white count, she has no ceteal lesions, no fevers, nothing in her spinal tap...just tell me."

Meredith look down at Lennon who nodded in encouragement. She let out a sigh if defeat before turning her head to look at an expectant Cristina "You can't comment, make a face, or react in any way... We had sex."

Lennon held her breath as she watched Cristina open her mouth before suddenly closing it. "What about an aneurysm?" Cristina decided on making Lennon release her breath.

Meredith shook her head "No blood on the CT, and no headaches."

Cristina nodded "Okay. There's no drug use, uh, no pregnancy, no trauma...was he good? I mean, he looks like he would be, was it any good?" She questioned, sounding amused making Lennon smirk.

"He sounded good." She commented making Meredith slap her stomach before she stood up while Cristina chuckled.

Meredith put the book she had been reading back in the shelf before turning and sitting down across from the pair "What are the answers? What if no one comes up with anything?"

Lennon swivelled as she sat up, so that she could sit back against the aisle beside Cristina "You mean if she dies?"

Meredith nodded "Yeah."

Cristina sighed "This is gonna sound really bad, but I really wanted that surgery." She admitted.

Meredith shook her head, looking down at the carpet below them "She's just never going to get the chance to turn into a person. The sum total of her existence will be almost winning Miss Teen whatever. You know what her pageant talent is?"

"They have talent?" Lennon joked making the other two women smile.

"Rhythmic gymnastics." Meredith grinned making the three laugh.

"Oh, come on." Cristina chuckled.

Meredith smiled "What is rhythmic gymnastics? I don't know - I can't even say it, I don't know what it is."

Lennon frowned in thought "I think it's the one with the ribbon and a ball or..." She trailed off noticing Meredith had gone stiff "..what? Mer, what is it?" She asked sharing a look with Cristina.

Meredith suddenly stood "Get up! Come on!"

* * *

Meredith had explained her theory as the three ran through the corridors "- the only thing she could possibly need is a - Oh, oh, Dr. Sheppard!" Cristina called noticing Derek entering the elevator.

"Just one moment, um, uh, Katie competes in beauty pageants." Lennon started as they stood at the door.

Derek raised an eyebrow "I know that, but we have to save her life anyway." He replied making Lennon snort out a laugh.

"Okay, she has no headaches, no neck pain, her CT's clean, there's no medical proof of an aneurysm." Cristina continued.

Derek nodded "Right."

"But what if she has an aneurysm anyway?" Lennon added, pushing the door back open as it began to close.

Derek shook his head "There are no indicators." He denied.

"Ah, but she twisted her ankle, a few weeks ago when she was practising for the pageant-" Cristina started only for Derek to cut her off.

"Look, I appreciate you're trying to help, but this is not helping." He retorted as the door began closing once again.

Meredith pushed it open once again "She fell. When she twisted her ankle, she fell." She added while Derek sent an apologetic look to the grumbling passengers of the elevator.

"It was no big deal, not even a bump on the head, you know she got right back up, iced her ankle and everything was fine, it was a fall so minor her doctor didn't even think to mention it when we were taking her history, but she did fall." Lennon tried once last time

Derek sighed "Well, you know the chances that a minor fall could burst an aneurysm, one in a million! Literally." He told them just as the doors finally closed. The three women shared a look as they sighed in defeat before turning to walk away.

The elevator dinged making them turns round to see Derek step out "Let's go."

Cristina frowned "Where?"

Derek smiled "To find out if Katie's one in a million."

* * *

After running the necessary tests, the four where looking over Katie's CT scan "I'll be damned." Derek said in awe.

the tech who operated the scan pointed to the dark areas of the brain scan that indicated an aneurysm "There it is."

Derek nodded "It's minor, but it's there. It's a cerebachnoid haemorrhage. She's bleeding into her brain."

* * *

Lennon was walking with Meredith, Cristina and Derek down the hallway "She could've gone her entire life without it ever being a problem. One tap in the right spot..." Derek started shaking his head.

"And explode." Lennon finished making Derek nod as he glanced over at her.

"Exactly. Now I have to fix it." He said as the came to a stop at the receptionists desk "You three did great work. Love to stay and kiss your asses, but I gotta tell Katie's parents she's having surgery." He said looking between the three interns before turning to the receptionist "Katie Bryce's chart, please." He requested.

"Here you go." She said handing the file over.

Cristina took a step towards him "Uh, Dr Sheppard, you said that you'd pick someone to scrub in if we helped?" She reminded hopefully.

"Oh, yes, right. Um, I'm sorry I can't take the three of you, it's going to be a full house." He retorted placing a hand on Cristina's shoulder "Meredith, I'll see you in OR." He concluded with a smile before turning back to the chart.

The three stood frozen for a moment before Crisitna looks at a flustered Meredith, expecting her to speak up. Lennon was wide eyed as she looked between the two. Derek was unaware if the tension as he looked back up "Good. Thank you." He said before departing. Cristina shares a look with Lennon before sending a withering look to Meredith and stomping off.

"Crisitna..." Meredith called weakly after her before sighing and turning to her best friend "Len! I-I"

Lennon gave her a small smile "Mer it's fine...Cristina's just pissed because you said you didn't want the surgery. You were the one who figured out the diagnosis anyway, you deserve it." The brunette reassured squeezing her friends arm "Let's go find her." She said softly, as she linked her arm with Meredith's.

* * *

The two were approaching the corridor with the abandoned beds that the group if interns had dubbed 'Their Spot' when they heard talking. " _Maybe Meredith couldn't_ -"

" _Izzie_!" Crisitna cut the blonde off just as Lennon and Meredith entered the hallway.

Meredith stepped forward to stand in front of Crisitna "I'll tell him I changed my mind, you can -"

"No, no, don't do me any favours. It's fine." Crisitna cut her off.

Meredith sighed "Cristina,-"

"You know what, you did a cutthroat thing, deal with it. Don't come to me for absolution, you want to be a shark, be a shark." Crisitna cut her off once again.

Meredith shook her head "I'm not." She denied.

Cristina nodded "Oh yes you are. Only it makes you feel all bad in your warm gooey places. No, screw you. I don't get picked for surgeries because I slept with my boss, and I didn't get into med school because I have a famous mother. You know, some of us have to earn what we get." Cristina snapped. Lennon gaped as Meredith silently left.

"Seriously?" Lennon questioned quietly.

Cristina's head snapped to look at her "Oh no, I-I didn't mean you..."

Lennon chuckled humourlessly, while Izzie watched the scene uncomfortably "Oh stop pouting _._ So was it only Meredith who needed her ' _famous mother_ ' or what?" She questioned angrily.

Crisitna opened her mouth before Lennon scoffed "Whatever Cristina." She exclaimed turning to leave. She paused as she reached the door "You know she got that surgery because she deserved it. Step up your game and maybe then you'll get picked." She concluded before slamming the door behind her leaving Cristina to stew in her guilt.

* * *

Lennon had caught up to Meredith and the two took comfort in each other's presence as they walked down the crowded hallways.

"She's still short of breath. Did you get an ABG or a chest film?" Lennon heard as they paused in their stride.

"Oh, yes sir, I did." She looked up to see Alex answering Dr Webber's question.

"And what did you see?" Webber questioned.

"Oh, well, I had a lot of patients last -" Alex started.

"Name the common causes of post-op fever." Webber interrupted impatiently.

"Uh...yes, sir." Alex hesitated, pulling out his notebook.

"From your head. Not from a book. Don't look it up, learn it, it should be in your head. Name the common causes of post-op fever."

"Uh...the common causes of post-op... " Alex trailed off not knowing.

Dr Webber sighed before turning to look around the hallway "Can anybody name the common causes of post-op fever?" He questioned loudly.

Everybody nearby stopped. Lennon sighed as she watched a girl pull out her own notebook "Wind, water, wound, walking, wonder drugs. The five Ws. Most of the time it's wind, splinting or pneumonia. Pneumonia's easy to assume..." She answered before sparing Alex a glance "especially if you're too busy to do the tests."

Dr Webber gave Alex a pointed look before turning back to Lennon "What do you think's wrong with 4B?"

Lennon considered her answer for a moment "The fourth W: walking. I think she's a prime candidate for a pulmonary ambulus."

Webber nodded "How would you diagnose?"

"Spiral CT, VQ scan, provide O2, dose with Heparin, and consult for an IVC filter." Lennon answered while Meredith smirked at Alex, feeling Prius of her friend.

Dr Webber turned to look at Alex "Do exactly as she says, then tell your resident that I want you off this case." he turned back to Lennon "I'd know you anywhere, you're the spitting image of your mother." He smiled before looking at Meredith "You too, Ellis's double. Welcome to the gang."

Lennon smirked at Alex as he passed "Not bad for a nurse huh?" She questioned as she and Meredith laughed as he grumbled to himself, walking away.

* * *

After wishing Meredith good luck, Lennon made her way to the gallery to watch Katie's surgery.

"All right everybody, it's a beautiful night to save lives, let's have some fun." Derek's said, taking a moment to look around at the people in his OR.

Lennon was so enraptured as she watched the hustle and bustle of surgery as the doctors and nurses flooded the OR, machines beeping, equipment purring that she didn't even notice Cristina sitting silently behind her, arms folded across her chest. She couldn't _wait_ until it was her turn. Lennon smiled as she watched Derek wave Meredith over to look through the magnifiers for a closer look.

Lennon sat in a content silence with Meredith outside the OR as her friend was in a post surgery daze. It was hour 48 and she was exhausted. She spotted Cristina as she walked passed before pausing as she saw the two. "It was a good surgery." She said as she approached.

"Yeah." Meredith nodded.

Cristina sighed as she looked at the two before taking a seat beside them "We don't have to do that thing where I say something, and then you guys say something, and then somebody cries, and there's like a moment..." She trailed off uncomfortably

Meredith and Lennon smirked "Yuck." They retorted.

Cristina nodded in relief "Good. You two should get some sleep. You look like crap."

Lennon scoffed while Meredith chuckled "I look better than you." The brunette retorted playfully.

Cristina smiled "It's not possible." She taunted, before getting up and walking away.

Lennon sighed as she leant her head against Meredith's shoulder. "We did it Mer."

Meredith smiled "Yeah we did."

The door beside them opened and out walked Derek Shepherd. The two women watched as he set Katie's chart on the nurses station desk before pulling his scrub cap off with a sigh.

Lennon nudged Meredith making her glance down. With a pointed head tilt, Lennon got her message across. "That was amazing." Meredith said gaining Derek's attention.

He smiled at the sight if the two tired interns "Mmmm." He hummed in answer.

Meredith breathed out "You practice on cadavers, you observe, and you think you know what you're going to feel like standing over that table, but...that was such a high."

Derek looked at her properly now, having a new focus before he nodded.

"I don't know why anybody does drugs." Meredith commented, still high from the surgery.

Derek nodding slightly, looking tired "Yeah."

Meredith smiled "Yeah."

Derek gave a slight smile back "I should go do this." He admitted.

Meredith nodded "You should."

Derek paused on his way out "I'll see you around." He waved before glancing at the striking brunette leaning against Meredith "You too Dr Wood." He added with a small chuckle.

"See you around." Meredith responded.

"See ya Shep!" Lennon called hearing him laugh down the hall.

"See ya." Meredith murmered.

* * *

After getting changed and grabbing their bags, Lennon and Meredith made their way out of the locker room.

"Are you coming to visit my mom?" Meredith questioned, glancing over at her friend as she fished out her cell phone from her handbag.

Lennon looked up "Unless you don't want me too..." She trailed off.

Meredith shook her head "Of course I want you to come... I honestly don't think I could be there without you." She admitted.

Lennon wrapped her arm around Meredith's waist "I'll always be there Mer." She promised.

Meredith smiled at Lennon as the two caught up with the rest of the interns as they made their way to their cars.

* * *

The rain poured down as Meredith and Lennon ran up a set if stone steps, huddled together under Meredith's umbrella. Shaking out the wet contraption, The two smiled at the reception as she waved them in.

Lennon nudged Meredith and pointed Ellis sitting peacefully in an armchair by the row of windows, across the room.

"So. We made it through our first shift. We all did." Meredith started as she sat beside Lennon on the bench in front of her mother.

Lennon smiled as she nodded "The other interns are all good people Aunt Ellis, you'd like them...I think... Honestly I don't know."

Meredith chuckled "Maybe. We like them. Oh, and I changed my mind. I'm not going to sell the house. I'm going to keep it. Lennon and I will have to get a couple of roommates, but...it's our home, you know?"

Ellis looked at the two frowning "Are you my doctors?"

Meredith and Lennon shared a sad look "We're not your doctors. But we are doctors." Lennon informed her softly.

Ellis nodded slightly before furrowing her eyebrows , as she twisted her watch "What's your names?" She asked making the two sigh.

Meredith gulped "It's me, mom. Meredith. And this is Lennon, your goddaughter."

"All right." She replied, fidgeting with her watch "I used to be a doctor, I think."

Meredith and Lennon each reached across to take one of her hands, stopping her from playing with her watch in the process "You were a doctor, mom." Meredith started as the two interns eyes welled up with tears.

Lennon smiled "You were a surgeon."


	6. The First Cut Is The Deepest 1

Lennon groggily made her way downstairs, yawning, she found a Meredith sitting in the kitchen "Coffee?" She asked hopefully, sniffing the air to try and find it.

Meredith shook her head amused "Freshly made."

Lennon rushed behind the counter to our herself a steaming cup. She took a sip before sighing relief "Ahh, that's the stuff."

Meredith drummed her fingers on the counter "You know if we're actually going to keep the house we really are going to have to get roommates."

Lennon groaned "I don't want to live with people."

Meredith sighed "Me neither Len but we can't afford this place on our own."

"Okay," Lennon gave in, hopping up onto the counter "We need some ground rules."

Meredith nodded pulling her laptop in front of her "Yes, like what?"

"No murderers."

Meredith raised an eyebrow "Well I thought that was an obvious one but wouldn't they just lie?"

"Probably." Lennon frowned "Okay...no smokers then."

"No smokers." Meredith repeated, typing it up "What else?" The two paused in thought as Lennon took a sip of her coffee "Oh! No pets."

Lennon nodded "Yes, I do not want to be cleaning up crap everyday."

"Anything else?" Meredith asked as she finished typing.

The two looked around in thought before simultaneously gasping as they faced each other "No Bush supporters."

* * *

Lennon made her way into the locker room, Meredith in tow. The two stopped in front if the notice board by the door. Lennon looked to her friend with a sigh "Let's get this over with."

Meredith nodded before taking out the piece of paper. Pinning it to the board, the two stood back to admire it. _There_. Anything, anyone interested in living with the pair needed to know, was on it.

Silently the two made their way to their lockers to get changed into their scrubs for their shift. As Lennon finished pulling on her top she noticed a pair of Cheetah Print Moccasins "Cute shoes Mer."

Meredith turned around from her locker before lifting the footwear "You're just saying that because you bought them." She chuckled, turning to put them away.

Lennon simply winked at her friend with a smirk as the two filed out with the rest of interns to meet with Dr. Bailey for rounds.

* * *

Lennon raised an eyebrow as Meredith handed her a hot drink "It's a mocha latte." Meredith explained, holding another in her hand, Lennon shrugged before taking a sip.

Izzie rounded the corner with George and approached the two "I saw the poster, I want a room." Izzie grinned as she stopped in front of them.

George nodded quickly beside her "Me too!"

Lennon frowned as Meredith shook her head "Nope, no way, not happening."

"What why?" Izzie questioned, frowning along with George "Why do you put up posters for roommates if you don't want roommates?"

Meredith sighed "I do want roommates, we're together a hundred hours a week, you want to live together too?"

Cristina approached the group just as Lennon lifted her cup to take another sip "Ooh, you're bringing bribes now?" She gestured to Meredith's coffee.

Lennon went crossed eyed as she looked at her own cup. George leaned towards Meredith "I need a place to live. My mom irons my scrubs. I have to get out of there."

Meredith shook her head before looking to Christina "It's not a bribe." Sighing she turned to George "I don't think it's a good idea."

George frowned "But I can put down last, first and deposit."

Lennon shared a smirk with Christina "Oh it's totally a bribe... But that's okay because she got me one too." She shrugged with a happy grin.

Izzie stood in front of Meredith "I can cook."

Lennon looked up at that "I love food." The blonde smiled, hoping this would help make her case "Can you bake? Dessert is so go-"

"Len. It's not happening. Besides you didn't even want roommates." Meredith interrupted making Izzie's smile drop.

Lennon pouted "I know, but we could have Martha Stewart in our kitchen." She gestured to the blonde as Cristina pat her back in mock sympathy.

"And I'm an obsessive cleaner." Izzie added hopefully.

Meredith shook her head "No. I just want two total strangers who I don't have to talk to, or be nice to," she sighed before glaring playfully at Lennon and Cristina "and it's not a bribe, it's a mocha latte." she said before heading over to Dr. Bailey who had just arrived at the nurses station.

Bailey looked up at her group of interns approach "George, you're running the code team, Meredith, Lennon take the trauma patients, Cristina, deliver the weekend labs to the patients, Izzie, you're on sutures." She instructed before heading towards the stairs.

Meredith followed after her "Dr Bailey." She started and the woman paused on the stairs, turning to looks own at her intern was a raised eyebrow "I was hoping to assist you in the OR today, maybe do a minor procedure? I think I'm ready." She informed her resident before holding out the hot beverage with a hopeful smile "Mocha latte?"

Lennon looked at Bailey over Meredith's shoulder "Oh sounds good, count me in."

Cristina quickly appeared "If they get to cut, I want to cut too."

"Yeah, me too." Izzie agreed eagerly.

George shrugged "I wouldn't mind another shot, I mean if everybody else is..."

Bailey's eyes were stern as she held a hand up "Stop talking. Every intern wants to perform their first surgery, that's not your job. Do you know what your job is? To make your resident happy. Do I look happy? No. Why? Because my interns are whining. You know what will make me look happy? Having the code team staffed, having the trauma patients answered, having the weekend labs delivered, and having someone down in the Pit, doing the sutures." Lennon slowly took a sip of her latte as Bailey grabbed the one from Meredith "No one holds a scalpel until I'm so happy I'm Mary freakin' Poppins." She exclaimed, making her way up the stairs.

"Mocha latte my ass." Cristina muttered to Meredith.

Bailey glared down at the group from the top of the staircase "Why're y'all standing there? Move!"

The group swiftly scattered in different directions, all heading to their assigned jobs. As Lennon approached the elevators with Meredith she spotted Derek Shepherd looking down at his cell phone. Smirking she looked at Meredith who hadn't noticed the man "I'm going to go to the bathroom, I'll meet you upstairs." She thrust the patients chart at her friend before taking off.

Meredith frowned as she watched her friend scurry off before baking her head and stopping outside the elevator. Glancing to her right, she froze. _Derek_. Silently she faced forward, hugging the patient files to her chest.

Derek looked up from his phone and couldn't help but smirk before going back to his phone "Seattle has ferry boats."

Meredith smiled but didn't turn away from the elevator doors to look at him "Yes."

"I didn't know that. I've been living here six weeks, I didn't know there were ferry boats."

Meredith smiled to herself amused "Seattle is surrounded by water on three sides."

Derek nodded "Hence the ferry boats." The elevator dinged as it arrived "Now I have to like it here." He commented, putting away his phone as the elevator doors opened and the passengers inside stepped off "I wasn't planning on liking it here. I'm from New York. Genetically engineered to dislike everywhere, except Manhattan. I have a thing for ferry boats." He admitted, pressing the button to close the doors behind him.

Meredith stood behind in inside the elevator. She couldn't stop glancing at the back of his head. Taking a deep breath she summed up enough courage to speak "I'm not going out with you."

Derek glanced over his shoulder at the girl "Did I ask you to go out with me?" He paused before smirking "Do you want to go out with me?"

"I'm not dating you." Meredith shook her head "And I'm definitely not sleeping with you again. You're my boss."

Derek looked at the floor numbers "I'm your boss's boss."

"You're my teacher. And my teacher's teacher. And you're my teacher." She retorted.

Derek rolled his eyes "I'm your sister, I'm your daughter."

Meredith hugged the files closer to her chest "You're sexually harassing me."

"I'm riding an elevator." Derek denied.

Meredith sighed "Look, I'm drawing a line. The line is drawn. There's a big line."

Derek turned to face the girl "So, this line. Is it imaginary, or do I need to get you a marker?"

Meredith stared up at him for a moment, internally debating. _Screw it_ , she thought before dropping the folders and pushing Derek against the wall, only to plant her lips furiously onto his

Derek was momenterilly surprised before quickly kissing back just as passionately until the elevator doors dinged as they had reached the fourth floor. Meredith quickly pulled back before crouching down to pick up the folders just as the doors slid open.

Derek was bemused as he watched her leave while a few of his colleagues made their way on "We'll talk later?"

* * *

Meredith chuckled as a puffing Lennon approached her "Aw man the stairs suck."

"Well maybe you shouldn't have pretended to need the bathroom so I would be along with Derek."

Lennon smirked "So you're back to calling him Derek now."

Meredith rolled her eyes "I meant Dr. Shepherd."

"And uh, did something happen with Dr. Shepherd?" She questioned, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. When Meredith looked everywhere but Lennon's eyes she let out a gasp "Oh, it did!"

"Shh!" Meredith hissed as she pulled her friend off to the side before they could reach their patients room "Okay, we kissed but that's it. Never again."

Lennon opened her mouth to retort when a nurse approached the two "You the surgeons?"

"Yes." Meredith replied, thankful for the change of topic.

The nurse nodded looking between the two interns "We've got a rape victim. You better get in there."

The interns were quick to push past the crowd standing outside, trying to get a look into the patients room. The went to stand on either side of the bed as the machines beeped around the with Nurses administering treatment. A nurse, holding the ventilation bag looked up at the two "21-year-old female found down at the park, status: post-trauma, she came in with a GCS of 6, BP 80 over 60, head trauma, unequal breath sounds, right pupil is dilated, and she's ready for x-ray. You ready to roll?"

Meredith had frozen. The victim had been wearing the same cheetah moccasins that she wore that morning. Lennon frowned at her friend in concern before pulling her flashlight from her lab coat pocket and shining it into the victims eyes "Call it in to clear CT, let them know I'm coming, load up the portable monitor, call respiratory for a ventilator.

Meredith snapped out of her trance at the sound of her friends voice. She looked towards Lennon "I'll get x-rays while I'm down there."

* * *

Lennon and Meredith stood amongst the nurses and technicians as they watched from the sidelines of the OR as Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Burke operated. Derek let out a sigh as he worked on her brain "She's going to spend a hell of a lot of time in recovery and rehab.

"If she survives." Burke added.

Derek shook his head in disbelief "What is she, like, 5'2", a hundred pounds, she's still breathing after what this guy did to her? If they catch the guy, they should castrate him."

"See how shredded her hands are? She tried to fight back." Burke commented.

Derek scoffed "Tried to? Rape kit came back negative. She kicked his ass."

Burke made a noise of approval "So, we have a warrior among us, huh?"

"Alison." Meredith spoke up and all attention moved to her "Her - her name is Alison."

Derek nodded "Alison."

Burke returned to the patient "I think I may have found the cause of our rupture." He commented, pulling out a piece of flesh "What is this?" Lennon looked closer along with Meredith "Does anyone know what this is?"

"Oh my god." The friends murmured in sync.

Burke glanced over at the pair, seeing them stare at the flesh "What? Spit it out, Wood, Grey.

Meredith gestured to the patient "She bit it off."

Burke frowned "Bit what off?" others around them echoed his question

Lennon cleared her throat "That's his...that's his penis." Everyone in the room let out groans of shock as the men shuddered in discomfort. Lennon let out a whistle as Burke looked to the piece of flesh held by the forceps in his grasp "She bit off his penis."

Dr. Burke hastily dropped the forceps into the tray, not being able to get rid of it fast enough.

* * *

Lennon hummed to herself as she made her way to the nurses station with a copy of Allison's chart. Meredith had been charged with taking the penis to the chief to deal with the police investigation. Giving a smile to Cristina who stood, sorting out paperwork she leant against the counter, putting the file she had on the pile to be sorted.

George grinned as he appeared beside the two women "Do you know what the code team does? Saves lives. I shock a heart and someone lives to see another day. It's upbeat. It's glass half full."

Lennon wasn't sure if George intentionally made a pun or not... knowing George it was the most likely the latter but Lennon appreciated it anyway. Shocking a heart would make it up beat. Cristina shook her head "Bambi, don't say another word until after the hunter shoots your mother."

George frowned, pulling out his phone "I don't like you."

Cristina shrugged "Well, I have a B.A. from Smith, a Ph. D from Berkeley, and an MD from Stanford and I'm delivering lab results. It's going to take me all day to get through these. It's going to take me all day to get through these."

"Then get started." Bailey retorted making the three turn to her.

Lennon internally groaned as she that Alex and Noah stood behind her. Cristina looked at their resident quickly "Oh, uh, I wasn't complaining. I-I don't-"

"These interns were reassigned, so they're mine, now." Bailey interrupted before gesturing to Alex who smirked at Lennon "Have him shadow you for the day. You show him how I do things." Bailey told Cristina before looking to Noah "Banner, let's get you to Dr. Stevens."

Lennon rolled her eyes as Alex outstretched his hand to Cristina "Alex Karev, nice to meet you." He smiled.

Cristina took his hand, glancing to Lennon "The pig who called Lennon a nurse, yeah. I hate you on principle." Lennon grinned at her Korean friend as she took off down the hall.

Alex shot the brunette one last smirk before following after Cristina "And you're the pushy overbearing kiss-ass, I, uh, I hate you too."

"Oh, should be fun then." Cristina retorted as Lennon took off in the opposite direction.

* * *

Dr. Bailey approached Izzie as she stood by the desk in the Pit, reading through a patient's chart. "Stevens," Bailey started and the blonde looked up "This is Noah Banner," she gestured to the man who smirked "he's one of my new interns and he'll be shadowing you for the day. Show him how I do things."

Izzie gaped after her short resident as she walked away before turning to her fellow intern "I'm Izzie, you can help me over here." She told him heading towards a curtained off bed.

Pulling back the curtain, Noah raised an eyebrow at the Chinese woman looking blankly up at them, blood running from a gash on her forearm. Izzie smiled "All right, Mrs. Lu, I'm Dr. Stevens, this is Dr. Banner. I'm going to sew up your wound, and you're going to need...yeah, about six stitches." She informed the woman, pulling the trolley filled with tools closer "Are you allergic to any medication?"

Noah scoffed as Mrs Lu spoke Mandarin "Lady do we look like we speak Chinese?"

Izzie shot him a look before turning to the patient "Oh, I'm sorry, I don't - I don't, um...do you speak English?"

When the woman only continued to speak in her language Izzie nodded with eyes wide "I'll find, um..." She trailed off before looking around the room "does anybody here speak Chinese?"

When no one responded the blonde intern turned to Noah for help. "Ask Yang." He shrugged.

* * *

Lennon caught up with Meredith as she spotted her down the hall "Hey wh- is that what I think it is?" She questioned looking down at the cooler in Meredith's grasp.

Meredith nodded "Yep. I have custody of a penis."

"Huh... Guess dreams do come true." Lennon joked earning a playful shove from her friend as they approached the nearest nurses station.

George looked up from his paperwork as a cooler was set down in front of him "What's that?"

Meredith shook her head "Don't ask, you don't want to know."

George smiled "I do want to know. Really."

Lennon smirked as she looked at Meredith "He really wants to know."

Meredith smirked back before looking to George who nodded encouragingly "It's a severed penis."

George paled as Meredith headed towards the office behind the counter "Ooh-kay. I didn't really want to know."

Lennon looked up as she heard Cristina's voice " _I don't know why I have to be the one who gets hugged._ "

Lennon shook her head as she saw Alex round the corner with Cristina "Because. I don't do that. Besides, you're the ovarian sister here." He retorted, continuing on down the hall and away from the group.

Cristina frowned after him "Did you just call me an ovarian si- an ovarian-" she started before looking to Lennon "since when has the possession of ovaries become an insult?"

Lennon shrugged "Since Alex was a sexist Neanderthal."

George glanced up "Meredith's carrying a penis around in a jar."

Cristina perked up "Oh, from the rape surgery?" She walked towards Lennon, setting down all her patient files to take a look.

Meredith sighed as she came out of the office "Yeah, and it's not a jar, it's a cooler."

Cristina closed the lid of the cooler with a whistle "Talk about taking a bite out of crime." She commented before grabbing her files and heading down the hall as Meredith lifted the cooler.

Lennon frowned in concern as she followed Meredith into the office "Are you okay Mer?"

Meredith let out a sigh as she looked up at her best friend "Yeah...Alison's shoes... " she started just as George arrived beside Lennon "They're the same ones I wore today." Lennon's eyebrows raised in understanding "And I normally never wear them, because they're not comfortable, but today I did, and she was wearing the same shoes, and it's just...stupid, and I'm tired, and forget it."

"You know what you need?" George said and the three shared looks between them.

Meredith shook her head "No. It's sick and twisted. We said last time was the last time."

George looked away from the two girls guilty causing Lennon to gasp "You've been doing it without us? _Bad Bambi_!"

"Nancy Reagan lied. You can't just say no. Come on." George defended.

Meredith sighed before lowering her voice "Do you know what would happen if anyone knew?"

George smiled "I'm doing it."

Lennon clapped "I'm in." She chirped before following after George.

The two paused behind Meredith's chair "You can come with us..." George started.

"Or you can stay here, and be miserable." Lennon smirked, pulling her friends chair so she wheeled after them as Meredith let out a laugh at her friends behaviour.

* * *

Lennon smiled softly as she watched the babies in the hospital nursery wake up. She loved kids. Meredith chuckled as George cooed at them with baby talk "You are such a woman."

Lennon snorted at the look on the boys face. She knew he had a thing for her friend and found equally adorable and amusing. George looked down as his pager beeped "It's a code. I gotta go." He told the two before running off.

Lennon linked her arm through Meredith's, resting her head on her friends shoulders as they watched the babies. Meredith sighed as she leant her head on top of Lennon's "You are really cute." She admitted.

Lennon smirked "I know but feel free to tell me again."

The pair chuckled before Lennon suddenly stood up straight, Meredith frowned "Len, what's wrong?"

"That babies face is blue."

* * *

Seeing no doctors around, the pair of interns had made their way into the nursery as Meredith pulled out her stethoscope to check the babies breathing. They looked up as another intern entered before frowning at the two, placing her hands on her purple scrub covered hips "What are you two doing in here?"

"There were no tests ordered. And the baby has a murmur." Meredith told her.

She nodded "I know."

Lennon frowned "He turned blue."

The intern crossed her arms as she walked closer, glancing at their blue scrubs "You're surgery, you're not authorised to be in here. Do you know how much trouble you can get into for this?"

Meredith took off her stethoscope "Are you going to do any tests?"

"It's a benign systolic ejection murmur. It goes away with age." The other intern retorted.

Lennon raised an eyebrow "So you're not going to do any tests."

"He's not your patient, he's not even on your service." The intern argued making her way to hold the door open.

Meredith looked at the woman "Are you sure it's benign?"

"I'm a doctor too, you know. You should get out of here." The intern nodded to the open door.

Lennon let out a sigh as she looked to Meredith "Grab your penis and let's go."


	7. The First Cut Is The Deepest 2

Noah was flirting with a red haired nurse over the counter as Izzie slumped in a stool. Cristina came though the door after getting a page from the blonde intern "You get a good case?"

Izzie shook her head before gesturing to Mrs Lu who sat in the bed across from her "No, her. She won't let me sew her up." She paused as the woman spoke again, still not able to understand her "I wouldn't have called you, but I can't get hold of the translator. Can you just ask her what's wrong?"

Cristina looked from Izzie to the woman and back again "No."

"Why not?" Izzie frowned as Noah made his way back over to his patient.

Cristina gave the blonde a blank look "Because I grew up in Beverley Hills. The only Chinese I know is from a Mr. Chow's menu. Besides, I'm Korean."

Just as Cristina left throught the door she came through, Noah strolled over "Did Yang translate?"

Izzie looked up at the man with narrowed eyes before shaking her head. Letting out a scoff, she stood up and walked away.

Noah frowned as he watched the blondes retreating back "What?"

* * *

Lennon let out a yelp as Meredith dragged her down into a chair beside her in the lobby, frowning she looked between her friend and the group of interns surrounding them "What are we doing?"

"Interviews." Meredith smiled before turning to the group "What's your favourite 80s group?"

A blonde smiled "Queen."

"Yes."

"No."

Lennon frowned at Meredith "Whats wrong with Queen?"

Meredith shook her head in answer and the only male in the group took the opportunity to answer "Twisted Sister."

Meredith groaned before pulling Lennon up with her. The brunette smirked "I guess _we're not gonna take it_."

Her friend shot her a look before rolling her eyes as the male intern laughed in appreciation before looking at Meredith with a shrug "It's not like there's a right or wrong answer to that question!"

Lennon shook her head "Oh no, there is."

"The Go-Gos, Duran Duran, Eurythmics..." Meredith trailed off as the two walked away.

* * *

Lennon stood with Meredith as they both leant on either side of the doorframe as they looked in on Allison. Derek came to stand between the pair Meredith "I've called every hospital in the county." He said, looking between them before moving to lift Allison's eyelids and shining his torch in them "Sooner or later, the guy that did this is going to seek medical attention, and when he does, that penis you're carrying around is going to nail him."

Lennon frowned "Where is her family?"

Derek looked up "Doesn't have any."

"No siblings?" Meredith asked.

Derek shook his head "No. Both parents are dead." He started, lifting Allison's chart and bringing it outside to the nurses station to update "She just moved to Seattle three weeks ago. Welcome to the city." When neither girl made a sound, he glanced over his shoulder to find them staring in at the woman "Meredith, Lennon, you guys okay?"

Meredith nodded "Yeah. I'm fine, I just," she started looking to Lennon who got the message.

Lennon turned to the man "We have to do something, we have to go."

Derek nodded as the pair set off "Right. I'm going to sit with her."

* * *

Lennon and Meredith raced down the stairs "Dr Burke?" The brunette called after the man ahead of them.

Burke's momentum didn't falter as he continued "Mmm?"

"There's a baby up in paeds, we saw him have a tet spell." Lennon started.

"We think we can hear a murmur." Meredith finished just as the pair where able to walk on with either side of the man.

Burke nodded "Mmm. Did paeds call us for a consult?"

Lennon frowned "Actually, no, they're not doing anything about it- "

"So you want me to what?" Burke cut her off.

Meredith glanced up at him "If you could just go up and look at him-"

Burke shook his head interrupting her "Mm-hmm, not without a paeds consult."

Lennon let out a sigh "Yeah, but-"

Burke came to a stop at the bottom of the staircase before turning to look at the pair "I'm a busy man, Grey, Wood, and there are rules. Look, it's not like I'm the Chief of something." He shrugged before leaving behind two disappointed interns.

* * *

Lennon sat cross legged in a seat by the window of the lobby, Meredith beside her as the two sulked in silence, the remnants of their lunch on the floor. A rap on the window made them glance up to find Cristina looking down at them before making her way through the automatic doors "What're you doing down here?"

Meredith glanced up at her "Just sitting here with my penis." She gestured to the cooler beside her on the table.

Lennon sighed "What about you?"

Cristina took the empty seat beside Lennon "Hiding from Alex."

Lennon smiled "What every smart girl should do."

Meredith looked down "I kissed Derek."

Cristina looked at Lennon who shrugged, letting her know that she already knew before turning Meredith "You kissed Derek."

Meredith nodded "In the elevator."

"Oh, you kissed him in the elevator." Cristina mocked.

Meredith sighed "I was having a bad day. I am having a bad day."

Cristina nodded as she stood up "Oh, so this is what you do on your bad days."

Lennon smirked, holding her hands up for Cristina to pull her up with "Make out with Dr. McDreamy."

Meredith stood up and pushed Lennon back into her chair before taking hers and Lennon's rubbish to put in the trash can "Well, that, and you know, carrying around a penis just makes everything seem so shiny and happy."

Lennon let out a huff before standing back up as Cristina looked to Meredith "Mmm. George said Alison was wearing your shoes."

Meredith nodded "Yeah. It's weird, right?"

Cristina shrugged "It's weird that you care."

Meredith sighed "I think it's weird."

Lennon opened her mouth to comment when a sudden swerve of a car invaded her hearing. Her head shot over to look through the glass, she gasped before rushing outside, Meredith and Cristina following after her. As the fresh air hit them, a man fell out of his car before staggering towards them. His pants, snort and hands were soaked in blood. Lennon noticed as the blood was concentrated mainly to his crotch and her heart skipped at beat. As the man collapsed to the ground, doctors and nurses surrounded him, taking his pulse and trying to out pressure on his wound.

Meredith went to call security as Lennon and Cristina helped situate the man onto a gurney. Meeting up with a Meredith outside the elevator the three interns ride in silence along with a few scrub nurses before the doors were opening and Bailey arrived "So, what've we got?"

Lennon gestured to the blanket "Take a look."

Bailey frowned confused "What?" Shaking her head she lifted the blanket and her eyes widened in realisation. She nodded "All right, let's get him into OR 1. Meredith, you call the chief and let him know we got the rapist." Meredith grabbed her cooler before dashing off to the nearest phone whilst the rest made their way to the operating room.

Lennon stood between Meredith and Cristina over to the side of the OR, surgical masks in place as they watched Bailey operate on the attacker. Meredith shook her head "I saw Alison, you can't believe the beating that she took. And then to see this... "

Cristina shrugged "It's like that old saying, you should see the other guy."

Bailey didn't look up as she worked "Why are we not attempting to reattach the severed penis?"

"Teeth don't slice, they tear, you can only reattach with a clean cut." Lennon answered.

Cristina nodded "If she wanted to slice him off with a knife..."

"Besides, the digestive juices didn't leave much of the flesh to work with." Meredith added.

Bailey nodded at her interns "Right, so what do we do?"

"Sew him up minus a large part of the family jewels." Cristina replied.

Bailey glanced up "And his outlook?"

Meredith smiled under her mask "He'll be urinating out of a bag for a very, very long time."

"Not to mention he'll never be able to have sex again." Lennon finished with a smirk.

Meredith shook her head in mock sympathy "Oh, too bad."

"Shame." Cristina chirped.

Bailey paused her surgery "Let's all take a moment to grieve." She held out her hand to the scrub nurse "Clamp."

* * *

After the surgery, Meredith had went to talk to the police, being the one I charge of the evidence whilst Lennon and Cristina had grabbed some coffee and made their way to the abandoned corridor to rest on the beds. Alex and George trudged in not long after them. Lennon groaned, opening one eye as Alex lifted her legs off the bed so he could sit down. He silently placed them across his lap before leaning his head on the window ledge behind him. "If I wasn't so tired, I'd move." Lennon muttered before closing her eye and relaxing once again.

Alex let out a sudden groan "My head hurts."

Cristina glanced at him "Maybe it's a tumour."

Alex scoffed "Yeah, you wish I had a tumour."

"Look, I'd rip your face off if it meant I got to scrub in." Cristina retorted.

Lennon hummed "Huh. That would be such a cool surgery."

Izzie walked in, travel mug and patient chart in hand "I have been suturing all day. My hands are numb." She complained taking a seat beside Cristina.

Noah scoffed as he came in through the door "It was nothing."

Izzie scowled at the man as he took a seat on the bed next to Alex "That because that's exactly what you did. _Nothing_! You flirted all day."

Noah smirked "Is someone jealous?"

Izzie shook her head as George entered "At least you're helping people." He told the blonde.

Alex glanced over at Izzie "At least you get to practice freaking medicine."

Izzie shook her head in thought "I had to send one Chinese lady away. She was like, camped out down there."

Cristina rolled her eyes as she turned to the blonde "Oh, poor Izzie, turning away patients, boo-hoo."

Meredith sauntered in, cooler in hand "So the police say that they can't send down the crack crime scene guy for hours. So I have to spend the night with a penis." She informed the group before setting the cooler on the window ledge beside Alex's head and pulling Lennon into an upright position. Alex held onto the pouting brunette's arms, a smirk on his face and obscene comment on the tip of his tongue.

Lennon narrowed her tired eyes at Alex's smirking face as Meredith slid into the space "Don't even say it."

Alex sighed as he lowered the girls top half onto her friends lap "Ah, it was too easy anyway."

George threw himself down onto the bed beside Izzie with a huff "Who here feels like they have no idea what they're doing?" Everyone but Alex and Noah raised their hands "I mean, are we supposed to be learning something, because I don't feel like I'm learning anything."

Izzie took a sip of her coffee "Except how not to sleep."

"It's like there's this wall, and the attendings and the residents are over there, being surgeons, and we're over here, being..." Cristina trailed off.

Lennon sighed "Suturing, code running, lab delivering-"

"Penis-minders." Meredith interrupted.

Noah groaned "I hate being an intern."

Lennon's eyes shot open as she felt a slap on her thigh. She looked up to see Meredith and Alex looking ahead and strained her neck to find Dr. Bailey standing before the group hands on hips "Go."

Lennon swiftly hopped off her fellow interns laps before she and the group shuffled quickly back to work.

* * *

After checking on a still unconcious Allison, Meredith and Lennon decided to go back to look at the baby with the murmur. Lennon nudged Merdith as she noticed a couple smiling in through the window before making her way to stand beside them "Hi."

The woman turned to the brunette as Meredith arrived beside her "Hi."

Meredith gestured to the baby boy "Is he yours?"

"Yeah." The mother smiled.

Lennon returned the smile "He's adorable." Sharing a look with her friend the two shared their concerns with the new parents.

"You are so out of line." The group of four turned to find the paediatric intern at the door, glaring at the two doctors

The father of the baby frowned "They say the murmur might not be benign."

Lennon nodded "I think we should do an echo, to check."

"This is your career." The intern retorted before heading to find her resident.

Meredith looked to the parents "There really is no reason to get alarmed."

The door swung open as the paeds intern returned along with her resident, Dr. Kerr "What's the problem?" He questioned.

"If our baby is sick, we want him treated. Now." The mother exclaimed.

Dr. Kerr frowned "Who said your baby was sick?"

The paeds intern gestured to Lennon and Meredith "Them, the surgical interns who have no business on our service."

The resident was quick to look at them "Who authorised you being here?"

Meredith sighed "We were just, actually-"

"I did." Dr. Burke interrupted coming up behind the pair "Could you excuse us for a second?" He asked the parents before herding Lennon and Merith to the side along with Dr. Kerr and his intern. He looked down at his colleague "Are you messing with my interns, Dr. Kerr?"

The man shook his head "No, sir."

"Give me the chart." Burke instructed the paeds intern.

She handed over the clipboard "There's nothing wrong with him, I checked."

Burke looked at her "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Burke raised an eyebrow "You can guarantee that he is fine, you are 100% sure?"

As the intern hesitated, Dr. Kerr let out a sigh "How sure are you?"

"I don't know, 75%." She bit her lip.

Burke shook his head "Not good enough. He's my patient now. That okay with you, Dr. K?"

Kerr nodded "Absolutely."

The paeds intern was indignant as she leaned closer to her resident "He can take our patient?"

"He's an attending." Dr. Kerr simply responded.

A smirk crossed Burke's face "Which means I can do whatever I want." He taunted before heading back the parents with Lennon and Meredith close behind "Mr and Mrs Johnson, I'm Dr. Burke, head of cardio, we're going to run some tests and give you an answer within the hour. Grey, Wood " he put a hand on each of their shoulders before looking back to the parents "excuse me," the three walked down the corridor, away from the nursery "I want an EKG, a chest x-ray, and an ECHO. I don't have all day."

Lennon shared a smile with Meredith "You're a busy man."

"I'm a busy man."

* * *

After ordering the tests, the friends walked down the corridor waiting for Burke to check the results. Lennon slapped Meredith's arm "Look, there's Burke." She pointed ahead and the two girls made their way towards the man.

"Well?" Meredith asked with a raised eyedbrow.

Burke nodded "It's a birth defect. Tetrology affirmed lower pulmonary artresia. You guys were right. I'm booking the OR for tomorrow."

Lennon sighed in relief "Thank you for backing us up on this."

"Yes, thank you." Meredith nodded in agreement.

Burke held up his hands "Whoa, whoa, wait, whoa. You were right. But if you ever pull a stunt like that again...going to the parents behind a doctor's back? Trying to steal a patient from another service? I will make your residency year hell on earth." He warned before walking down the hall.

Lennon whistled "Damn, I thought Bailey was scary."

* * *

Lennon smiled as she looked down at the Johnson baby "His heart surgery is scheduled for the morning." The brunette looked up to see the paeds intern looking between her and Meredith "I really did think I was right, you know."

Meredith nodded "I know. We almost never are. We're interns."

"We're not supposed to be right. And when we are, it's completely shocking." Lennon shrugged.

The paeds intern looked embarrassed "Are you - I mean, being an intern, do you guys feel..."

"Terrified?" Lennon questioned knowingly.

Meredith nodded "100% of the time."

The intern sighed in relief "Good, it's not just me. "

Lennon and Meredith smiled "No."

* * *

As Meredith went off to check on Allison again, Lennon made her way to the closest on call room to take a power nap. Yawning, the brunette swung the door open. Her tired eyes widened as she took in Noah's naked back, a head of red hair peeking out from below "Oh crap."

Noah smirked as he glanced over at her "There's room for one more."

Lennon covered her eyes as she backed up towards the door "Eww no, gross! Nu uh, never." Grunting as she bumped into the doorframe "Seriously these beds are for sleeping!" She scolded, swiftly spinning on her heels, hearing Noahs chuckle muffle as she swung the door shut with a bang behind her. Huffing, she threw her hands up in frustration "Can't a girl get a nap around here."

* * *

Meredith arrived at Allison's room only to find Derek sitting by her bedside "How is she?"

Derek looked up as she entered "No change."

Meredith raised an eyebrow at the man "Have you been here all night?"

"Mm-hmm." Derek nodded "Yup. You know I have four sisters? Very girly, tons of kids. If I was in a coma, they'd all be here. I'd want them here. Having no one? Can't imagine that."

Meredith hummed quietly "I can."

Derek frowned "What're you talking about, what about your mother? She'd be in here ordering all the surgeons around. She'd fly these cowboys in from Prague to do these amazing medical procedures."

Meredith sighed "That's true. I do have my mother."

Derek chuckled "Also I'm sure Lennon would probably be in the bed with you, telling you everything you were missing until you woke up."

Meredith smiled genuinely at the thought of her best friend "You're right."

"I'm always right." Derek smirked "So we're kissing but we're not dating?"

Meredith sighed but couldn't help but smile "I knew that was going to come up."

Derek shook his head with a grin "Don't get me wrong, I like the kissing. I'm all for the kissing. More kissing, I say."

"I have no idea what that was about." Meredith retorted.

Derek raised an eyebrow "Is it going to happen again? Because if it is, I need to bring breath mints. Put a condom in my wallet."

Meredith sent him a look "Shut up now." Derek laughed as Meredith looked back to Allison "There was this baby up in the nursery. He's brand new. No one's neglected him or damaged him yet. How do we get from there to here? She's wearing my shoes and someone's beat the crap out of her, and she's got nobody."

Derek's head shot away from Meredith as the machine beeped rapidly above Allison. He rushed over to the latent as Meredith hit the code button on the wall "Her ICP's double, get OR! Put her in for a craniotomy." He yelled as the crash time poured in.

* * *

Lennon leant silently against the wall outside the OR with Meredith after getting a page about Allison's surgery. The two up looked up as Derek approached thepair, taking his scrub cal off "Hey. I, uh, I had to leave her skull flap off, till the pressure in her brain goes down."

Meredith sighed "She's not going to make it, is she?"

"She's going to be fine." Derek denied.

Lennon frowned "If she ever wakes up."

Derek nodded sadly as he looked between the two girls "If she ever wakes up."

* * *

After Meredith signed over the penis to the police she and Lennon made their way to stand at the side of the OR to watch the heart surgery for baby Johnson "We'll be using a medium approach for a trans-ventricular repair with a right ventriculostomy. Let's open him up." Burke told the surgical staff around the room "Fifteen blade." He requested before glancing at the two interns "Wood! Grey!"

Lennon and Meredith shared a look "Yes, sir?"

"Go scrub in. When we've finished cracking the baby's chest, Wood you can hold Sternun retractor and Grey, I'll let you hold the clamp."

Meredith was wide eyed "Seriously?"

Burke looked over his shoulder at the pair with a raised eyebrow "Don't make me change my mind."

Lennon grinned behind her mask as she tugged Meredith out if the room "We're going."

* * *

Derek stormed in the room belonging to the rapist. He whacked the end of the bed, jolting the patient awake "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, Dr. Bailey stopped your bleeding. The bad news is, we're giving your penis to the cops. Have a nice life." and with that, he was gone.

* * *

On a high from taking part in an actual surgery, Lennon and Meredith dragged their friends to see the babies in the nursery. George was only too happy to go, needing cheering up after working with the code team all day and losing all of his patients.

Lennon smiled as she nudged Meredith, raising raising an eyebrow until she sighed in defeat "Okay, fine, George and Izzie, you can move into the house."

George grinned, raising his arms in the air in triumph "YES! Yes!"

Izzie grinned, breathing out a laugh "I can't believe you caved!" She squeaked before hugging George on celebration.

George pulled back before clapping Meredith on the shoulders "Thank you." He turned back to the blonde "Yes!" He cheered before he and Izzie danced their way down the corridor.

Meredith pouted "I can't believe I caved."

"You always cave." Lennon snickered.

Cristina rolled her eyes "I blame the babies. Toxic."

Derek sighed as he stood outside Allison's room, the phone at the nurses station resting between his ear and shoulder. He went to speak when moment caught his eye. His mouth dropped as he set the phone down and made his way into Allison's room. He watched intently as the girls eyes lids flustered before her green orbs were revealed and she looked up at the doctor who smiled softly "Welcome back."

* * *

Lennon let out a sigh as she walked out of the locker room with Meredith "I am so tried."

Meredith chuckled before smirking "Huh, I would've thought your little run in with Noah and nurse red would've woke you up a little."

Lennon groaned, throwing her head back "Don't even start Mer." As she brought her head back down she spotted Derek standing at the elevator alone. Sighing she looked at Meredith who had noticed the man aswell "McDreamy will be the death of me," she grumbled before turning to head to the stairs "Always making me walk, so they make out in the freakin' elevators." She muttered to herself.

Meredith shook her head amused at her friend before heading over to the elevators to stand in front of Derek, who once again was on his phone. Derek grinned as he glanced up "So. It's intense...this thing I have for, ah, ferry boats I mean."

Meredith smiled as she turned to face him "I'm so taking the stairs this time."

The elevator dinged as she walked off grinning. Derek smiled after her "No self-control. It's sad. Really."

* * *

" _Wait up!_ " Lennon looked up just as she reached the last step.

Lennon's brown eyes widened in disbelief as Meredith scurried down the steps towards her "Are you kidding me?! I took the _stairs_ for nothing!"

Meredith laughed as she slung her arm around her frowning friend "Let's go home Len."


End file.
